You Belong With Me
by Flames101
Summary: IPOD Shuffle challenge piece. A series of one-shots, likely all to be JJ/Hotch fics. Chapter 2: 3, by Britney Spears.
1. Opening Credits

**A/N:** Hey all! I can't believe I'm doing this, but here we go. Lol. This is going to be a series of about 17 one-shots. It's essentially an IPOD shuffle challenge. Most of the fics will be JJ/Hotch ones (who am I kidding? All will probably be Jotch. Lol). And I'll try to update as frequently as possible.

So, with that said, the first song up is You Belong With Me, by Taylor Swift.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**You Belong With Me**

* * *

Ever since he saw the light, he was hard-pressed not to follow her with his eyes wherever she went. If he wasn't watching her, he knew exactly when she entered a room and when she left it, always knew where she was without even looking up. It's like his body was tuned into hers.

Why hadn't he figured it out a long time ago? Like nine years ago?

As far as he was concerned, he was such an idiot. A complete imbecile.

_JJ._ It had always been _JJ_.

Hotch watched the woman who occupied his thoughts almost constantly these days storm out of Rossi's kitchen in a blur of blue, out onto the backyard patio where the team, plus significant others—of which he had none—had gathered that day. JJ clearly looked agitated.

Despite her looking extra sexy, all dark and smoldering eyes when she was angry, he didn't like the fact that she was upset on a day where she was supposed to be happy. Ecstatic, really, considering her best friend and their bubbly technical analyst had just announced her engagement to one, Scott Miller, Alex Blake's very own brother. Sadly, JJ had yet to crack a smile all afternoon. It hurt his heart to see her like this.

He'd been watching her all day: constantly brushing off her husband's advances; the hushed whispers of admonition she gave Will. Something was definitely off between the two and it didn't take a profiler to notice.

The last straw for the beautiful, feisty blonde was when Will suggested they go inside to talk. She hadn't been quiet in her reluctance to do so, but she had followed him nonetheless.

It seemed they were seeing the results of that conversation now.

A second or two behind JJ, a stone-faced Will also stormed out of the mansion, trying his best to hide his emotions, except his eyes simmered with fury. Only Will didn't stop at the edge of the patio, he kept going, right around the side of the house, seemingly leaving the premises.

His gaze went to JJ immediately, trying to gauge her reaction. She'd turned to watch her husband leave without her. There was the obvious resentment lingering around the edges of her mouth, but he could also see the regret and sadness haunting her eyes.

All he wanted to do just then was go to her. Comfort her. He so wanted to be the one to tell her that everything was going to be all right.

Hotch yearned for her something fierce.

With a self-conscious look around the spacious backyard—luckily, everyone had quickly averted their eyes—she crossed her arms over her chest and walked off towards the far off gazebo. Hotch knew JJ, she needed time to calm herself.

* * *

"Boss-man!" Garcia exclaimed from behind him.

He turned around to find his quirky friend looking not so amused. Had he forgotten to congratulate her or something?

"Oh… uh… Congratulations, Penelope. I have no doubt you and Scott will be very happy together."

"_Pish,_" she scoffed, waving her hand in the air, demonstrating she had no time for such nonsense. "What are you doing over here?"

He looked around. After JJ had isolated herself inside the gazebo, clearly wanting to be alone, he'd also moved away from the crowd, off to the little duck pond Rossi had put in recently, to think over what he'd witnessed.

"Uh… I'm enjoying the… _scenery,_" he almost asked.

"Aaron!" Garcia scolded, the use of his first name a clear indication of her ire. "You're supposed to be over there!" She made mad, furious gestures towards JJ and the gazebo.

He let out a sigh. There wasn't anywhere else he'd rather be than by her side. But, he was certain she didn't want the company. "Garcia, she wants to be alone."

"Humph!" Garcia was all about frustrated sound effects today, it seemed. "Some profiler you are!"

"Pene—" he started to protest, not sure if he should be offended by her accusation or amused.

She cut him off. "Just," she began haltingly. "Trust me on this one. She wants someone to go to her. Call it best friend intuition; I just know she needs you, all right!"

He looked at her dubiously, unsure whether to trust her so called intuition or not. It was her intuition, after all, that had thought an S&M themed Halloween party was entirely appropriate for the workplace—_oh,_ the harassment seminars they'd had to endure after that.

"Go!" she ordered.

"Fine!" he gave in, putting his hands up in surrender. "I'm going." He really did want to check on her anyways, this was just the little push he needed to overcome his nervousness.

Giving the computer whiz a wide berth, he made his way through the crowd of onlookers, down the path.

As he approached the gazebo, he could see the back of JJ's blonde head. She was facing the setting sun.

Her sun-kissed strands, curled for today's occasion, waved back and forth in the light breeze, brushing her bare back. She'd worn a royal blue, strapless sundress today. The minute he'd laid eyes on her he couldn't take his gaze off her eyes. The dress brought out their blueness all the more, enchanting him.

He approached slowly, making sure to make his footsteps be heard. He didn't want to startle her, after all.

Reaching the stairs, he tentatively said, "JJ?"

She turned her head towards him, surprise written all over her face. Underneath the shock, though, he could see that sorrow from earlier. "Hotch, hi…" she greeted, voice too pleasant sounding. The emotion, obviously fake.

She blew out a tired breath and rubbed both hands over her eyes, hard. "Hi," she repeated.

Quickly, he went to her side, worried. He reached out, wanting to touch her, to hold her, only to draw up short; his was wary and unsure if she'd appreciate the gesture.

She dropped her hands and opened her eyes; once again she looked astonished to see him there. "Hotch?"

"JJ, what's going on?" he dove right in.

Her eyes narrowed at him; he could see the instant where she thought of telling him to back off. The look on his face must have told her that he wasn't about to do that. And with a deep breath inhaled, she exhaled the words, "I filed for divorce last week."

"_What?_"

He couldn't help his reaction. This was the last bit of news he was expecting to hear.

She physically recoiled, looking defensive all of the sudden. "Please. Don't start. I know; I got it enough from my mother and Will's mother. I know it's not ideal for Henry. I don't need you telling me so, too."

Hotch was taken aback for a moment. Why she thought he'd ever disapprove of her decision, he had no idea. He was her friend. He wanted what was best for her. And if leaving Will was best, he'd support her.

"JJ," he started delicately. "Why do you think I'd want to talk you out of this?"

Her expression still guarded, turned slightly insecure. "Because of your divorce from Hailey… how it affected your relationship with Jack."

He let out a sigh. Yes, he hadn't been happy at first about his deceased ex-wife's decision to divorce at the time. But he now saw it as the blessing it was. He hadn't loved Hailey in a long time. And the fights had become more and more numerous. It had been more important to separate and give Jack two happy households rather than the ever coveted nuclear family.

"It was the right thing to do, we weren't happy," he informed. "_And_ if you aren't happy with Will, then this is the right thing to do, too. JJ, you deserve to be happy." _You deserve the world…_

Her eyes widened in relief. She amazed him when she leaned into him, her body pressing lightly against his side, to place a sweet kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Aaron."

Hotch was sure he was blushing to the tips of his ears when she pulled back to gaze upon him. "Oh, uh… you're welcome," he stumbled.

A small smirk pulled at the corners of her lips, the first smile he'd seen her crack all day. Too bad it was at his expense, though. Nevertheless, if laughing at him made her happy, he'd be perfectly willing to put on a Bozo the Clown outfit on for her and do tricks.

He hated to take the smile away, but he had to know. "JJ, why did Will come today?"

"I didn't ask him to." She let out a harassed sounding sigh. "He doesn't want this. He thinks if we play house enough everything will go back to the way things were. He thinks we just lost touch with each other."

"You don't?"

She gave him a penetrating, side-long look that got him thinking. "No, I don't. It's so much more than that. I have—"

She cut herself off abruptly, looking away.

Hotch's heart began to race. What was really going on here?

"JJ," he urged softly. "Look at me."

Slowly, she did so, deigning him with a look from beneath her long lashes. He asked, "You have what?"

Her eyes held his steadfastly; she seemed to be trying to send him a message with those deep blue orbs. And then it hit him. He actually gasped out loud.

Surely, she didn't… she couldn't possibly…

He stood up, walking towards the orangey sky with the almost set sun. Was he really about to hear what he'd been hoping to hear for the past couple of months?

_No way, it can't be._

Hotch practically jumped out of his skin when he felt her small hand touch a spot between his shoulder blades. His heart, racing before, was now demanding to escape the confines of his ribcage.

"Hotch… _Aaron,_ I know… trust me, I know. This must be like coming out of left field for you…"

_Boy was it._ He'd cared for her for so long. _Loved her._ Still, he'd been satisfied, resigned really, with the fact that it would always be an unrequited love. She couldn't possibly be telling him otherwise now, could she?

"But, I need to say it, ok? And then… and then you can go on pretending like I never said a thing, all right? I just… I can't not say it," JJ babbled, she was really nervous now.

He turned to face her. If he didn't see the words coming from her mouth, he'd assume he'd imagined them.

"Aaron, the reason why things can't ever go back to normal with Will, the reason why I filed for divorce is because I have feelings for another man."

He held his breath, waiting, still not daring to believe, to hope. Her eyes blinked at him, her soul completely bared before him. But he still needed to hear the words.

"Aaron, I love you," she practically breathed out.

She loved him! Suddenly the air sung, the breeze smelled like the sweetest perfume, the world was so much brighter, clearer. His love was returned! JJ belonged with him, only now she knew it, too.

Her face took on a frightened look. "Aaron, say something, please."

He needed to say something; he was so caught up in the moment, though. She loved him. Him, Aaron, she loved him.

She stepped away from him, jittery all of the sudden. "Ok… ok, you probably want an explanation, right? When did I start feeling this way and all that? Ok, ok, I probably have always loved you," she blurted out.

His eyes widened at this admission.

"Oh, that came out wrong. I wasn't wishing the end of your marriage or anything. I just admired you at first, you know. The way you ran things so smoothly, the way you earned everyone's respect without being feared… Over the years, seeing you with Jack, the way you were with him… And now, how we've become friends… Your friendship… It's everything to me, you're everything to me. So I fell. Hard."

She paused then, looking at him expectantly. Rightfully so, she'd just uncovered everything and he'd yet to react other than to gape at her like a guppy fish.

He opened his mouth then, once, twice, before closing it. He really needed to get a grip.

"Aaron!" she whined.

"I'm sorry," he blurted out.

She got the wrong meaning, though. Turning away from him, she said, "Oh God… forget it. All of it; _please!_"

JJ started to make her way towards the stairs of the gazebo, ready to run away and hide, but he grabbed hold of her hand before she could flee, halting her.

She turned her body slightly to eye their attached hands. He watched her gaze skim the length of his arm before meeting his eye hesitantly, embarrassment, but also hope, burning beneath.

"JJ, you've got it all wrong…" he started slowly. He tugged her arm so she stood before him, taking her other hand in his.

She looked down at their entwined fingers than back up at him, the embarrassment slowly easing away.

"JJ, I… I love you, too," he said simply, but completely heartfelt.

He didn't expect the sharp gasp she let out or the tears that sprung to her eyes instantly. He went on despite the powerful reaction.

"I think I've always loved you... I've been waiting, hoping you'd see me… see that you belong with me, JJ. And now… now…"

He stumbled through his confession, this kind of admission not easy for him. But he needed her to know how much he wanted her, needed her. He needed her to know he could never let her go, not again, not ever.

He opened his mouth to say all this, but her fingers brushed lightly over his lips, shushing him.

"Now you have me, Aaron."

JJ's hand dropped from his lips, her hands went around his neck while his own went to settle at her hips. He was holding her; he'd wished for this moment for so long, to feel her so close to him, both physically and spiritually.

He watched her lovely eyes move from his gaze to his lips and back again. A question lingered there. A question he answered by closing the gap between them.

Hotch pressed his lips to hers, the explosion of heat, unexpected. He kissed her long and hard with all the longing he'd felt for her all these days. It was a desperate kiss, he knew.

JJ took over, tempering the rhythm, sliding her tongue alongside his to deepen the kiss. This was everything he'd ever imagined and more.

After a few good minutes of moving against each other in perfect sync, JJ pulled back with a sigh. She laid her head against his chest and he wrapped her in a tight embrace.

They stood like that for quite a while, together, before pulling apart slightly.

"So," she said, staring up at him. "Where do we go from here?"

He let a hand reach up to skim the side of her face, loving the soft feel of her skin, the way she leaned into his touch. "I don't know," he confessed. "But wherever it is, it has to be together."

She smiled at his answer, pleased. Nodding once, she perched up on her toes, murmuring the word, "Together," before planting one more kiss on him.

* * *

That's it for this one. Hope you enjoyed! Hope you'll also let me know what you think, thanks!


	2. Waking Up

**A/N:** Hey all! Here's the next one. Song: 3 by Britney Spears. Some mature themes ahead, but nothing at all explicit.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Criminal Minds.

**3**

* * *

The sun filtering through the thin, gauzy curtains was what woke JJ up early that morning. She was fine with the early start to the day, even though she'd had a long night. It gave her time to contemplate things.

JJ smiled up at her ceiling before carefully lifting her upper body to perch on one elbow. She may have been fine with waking up at the crack of dawn, but that didn't mean she wanted to disturb her companion.

Staring down at her lover, she wanted to reach out and trace the angular lines of his face. To feel the roughness of early morning stubble that both thrilled her and gave her the shivers.

Her eyes caressed his features instead, from one defined cheekbone to the other. His dark hair was getting on the longish side for him; there was a lock of hair that fell across his forehead. JJ longed to smooth it away, to feel the crisp strands under her fingertips.

She exhaled a deep breath, love stirring in her heart. God, but he was ruggedly handsome, she thought, in awe of his presence here with her.

It still struck her as odd, for whatever reason, that he'd chosen her, JJ, in the end. Chosen her over the life he'd already began to build with another woman. And, _oh_, she was so glad he had. Because JJ had loved him for a very, very long time.

For the longest time, she thought she could ignore her feelings for him, just move on with someone else. She thought she could live her life pretending. Things changed when they began spending time together as friends. Taking the boys out together, watching movies alone, double dating…

It was the double dates that made her realize she was living a lie. There she was sitting next to Will when she longed to be next to _him_.

Instead of putting an end to the charade, she'd kept her distance. After all, she loved him, but he was happily with another woman—or so she thought. She avoided him outside of work situations, essentially putting an end to their budding friendship. Before long, JJ also avoided meeting his gaze, the hurt in his dark eyes too much for her to bear.

It all came to a head one night, after a case was put to a rest. He'd followed her to her hotel room, demanding answers. What shocked her the most in that moment where he ranted and raved was that he blamed himself. He wanted to know what _he'd_ done wrong to make him lose her. What he could do to make things right. He'd do anything, he'd said.

JJ sighed, thinking back to that moment that had changed her life.

She couldn't help herself anymore; she ran a hand down his bare, uncovered chest, relishing the feel of him against her skin. Touching him would never get old.

He stirred under her touch, murmuring nonsensical words, still fully claimed by sleep.

That night he'd begged her to make things right, she broke. She couldn't hold back what she thought, what she'd felt for so long. JJ told him how deep her love was for him. How she couldn't bear to just be friends with him anymore. She explained that she understood she was being selfish and greedy that she wanted all of him. Every piece of him all to herself. And, God help her, she didn't care if anyone knew it anymore.

Despite every ounce of her moral fiber telling her not to, she, Jennifer Jareau, confessed her love to one, Aaron Hotchner.

Through it all, he watched her with an unreadable expression. When she finished, there was this long excruciating moment where her breath hitched and she believed her world was about to crumble around her, then and there.

Desperate for something, a reaction of some kind, she whispered his name, "Aaron," once with such yearning that her heart nearly broke.

That had been all it took.

In the blink of an eye, he'd stood before her, and, in even less time than that, he had her in his arms, kissing her like the world would end tomorrow.

They made love that night, fast and fierce, slow and gentle. It had been wrong, she still married, he still involved with Beth. Except it had felt so right.

It still did four months later.

Every day with Aaron felt like something brand new. And today she had something fresh to confess to him. Something she hoped he'd be ecstatic over.

JJ ran her fingers across his chest, down to his abdomen, tickling the hard skin there, impatient now for him to wake. She smiled a mischievous smile down at him as she inched her fingers down lower.

Hotch let out a pleased sounding groan. She wasn't surprised when he caught up her hand in his a second later. She giggled, despite it being her intention getting caught. She wanted him awake.

He brought her hand to his lips, placing a sweet kiss to her palm, causing heat to pool in her belly.

She put on her most dazzling smile when he opened his eyes a second later.

"A happy wake up call, a hundred watt smile…" he began, voice still hoarse from sleep. "Hmm… what did you do?"

She felt a momentary prick of outrage, letting it form a pout on her lips before she exclaimed, "I did not _do_ anything!"

He laughed and she pushed against his chest, making to get off the bed. Hotch had other ideas, however. He pulled on the hand he was still holding, bringing her down hard against his chest.

Skin to skin, she found it difficult to keep the frowning façade.

"All right… so you didn't do anything, but you obviously wanted me awake," he continued. His hands made their way to her bare hips, grasping her firmly. "I wonder what for…"

She stared down at his desire-filled eyes. JJ hated to burst his bubble, but she hadn't woken him up for what he was thinking (not that she couldn't go for round two. Feeling him hard beneath her was making it very hard to focus).

When he cupped her face, bringing her down to meet his hungry lips, she let him kiss her with full abandon.

After a few moments of moving against each other, JJ tore her lips from his. Not that that put a halt to Hotch's advances at all.

"Aaron," she gasped out when his lips sucked at her pulse point. "I wanted to tell you something…"

"Yes?" he questioned huskily.

But he moved lower, lavishing her breasts with some much adored attention. Unfortunately, that made it almost impossible to speak.

Gasping for breath, she resigned herself to his ministrations. She'd tell him later.

Surprising an instant later, Hotch flipped them over so he was on top and she the one wiggling beneath him.

He breathed out, "You were so right in letting the boys stay with Penelope." He kissed her lips once. "We needed this. Just the two of us…"

"Actually," she burst out without thinking. "It's the three of us."

Hotch rocked back to stare down at her perplexedly. She watched the emotions on his face. Confusion first: What could she possibly mean? Incredulity next: Could she really mean… And finally a look she could only describe as pure bliss: Truly? his eyes said.

She gave him a slight nod of her head.

"Oh my God, JJ," he breathed out in wonder, moving off to the side.

She sat up too, facing him. "Yeah…" she murmured.

"We're having a baby?" he stated more than asked.

"We're having a baby," she confirmed.

The look on his face said it all. He couldn't have loved her more in that second even if he tried.

"This is… amazing. How long?"

"Four months." It'd happened their first time together.

Slowly, almost gingerly, Hotch reached a hand out to cover her still small belly. "Three of us…" he whispered to himself.

She stayed silent in that moment, letting him have his. Finally, his eyes lifted to meet hers. They shone with all the love he felt for her.

"This is wonderful, JJ. I love you."

Her eyes filled with happy tears, overcome completely with joy. She could expect months more of intense emotions, but she wouldn't exchange the mood swings for anything in the world. JJ had everything she ever wanted now, everything she could possibly need. Life was good, more than good. It was perfect with the most loving man by her side.

"I love you, too, Aaron."

* * *

That's it for this one. Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter: **Christiangirl; Canny-bairn; bea; deeda; Ju Fonseca; mummacass; AvngAngl; and Jekkah** _(not exactly what we discussed on facebook, but hope you still liked). _

I'll try to update soon!


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